Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

Smart speakers can be really useful, but only if you have a voice to activate them. A new device called Scribe could help nonverbal users with their smart systems by letting them "write" commands into the air. Plus: RoboCake is, you guessed it, a robotic wedding cake featuring a series of dancing gummy bears. An Alternative to Speech: Writing in the Air With ‘Sonic Ink’ (University of Maryland)robotic wedding cake with dancing gummy bears moves using edible rechargeable batteries (designboom)Tell your smart speaker to play our podcast, and then back the podcast on Patreon while you listen

Thanks to loads of security measures, no one has ever robbed the Bank of England. But if you ask whether anyone’s broken into the bank's famous gold vaults, the answer is a little more complicated. Plus: the English town of Burslem is about to dedicate a statue of a local rocker made good, Motorhead frontman Lemmy. Has any gold ever been stolen from the Bank of England? (Bank of England)Lemmy Forever Stoke-on-Trent statue unveiling ceremony and festivities announced (RadioX)Backing our show on Patreon is golden

Many people like to get together from time to time for adult beverages. New research finds chimpanzees apparently also gather to imbibe and share alcohol. Plus: trading card fans in Japan are enjoying cards that feature... middle aged guys doing their everyday jobs and hobbies? New Study Suggests Chimpanzees May Enjoy “Social Drinking” Just Like Humans (My Modern Met)Middle-aged men are the new Pokémon and we’re here for it (Collector Club)Let’s gather together over at our Patreon page and toast the success of this show

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from July 2020, the story of Pheasant Island, which is administered by several sovereign powers but not simultaneously. Spain and France take turns with it. Plus: auto racing fans in Lublin, Poland found a way to root for their favorite drivers while still social distancing during COVID. The island that switches countries every six months (BBC)Fans Rent Cranes to Watch Car Race from Outside Arena During Pandemic (Oddity Central)Start your weekend off right as a Cool Weird Awesome backer on Patreon

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from July 2020, the story of how Canada got its name, and a few of the country's most interesting alternates. Plus: several Canadian Tire stores in Ontario had to briefly shut down because a glitch made every item the workers scanned show up in the computer as a Mr. Potato Head toy. What Canada was ALMOST named (CBC Kids)Canadian Tire in Lindsay temporarily closed after every item scanned comes up as “Mr Potato Head” (Kawartha411)Join us as a backer on Patreon for just $1 a month! Or, if you like, just C$1 a month! Photo by Zombie Leah via Flickr/Creative Commons

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from August 2019, the app what3words breaks down all the spaces on earth into 3 meter by 3 meter squares and assigns each of those squares a unique set of three words, giving us a new way to pinpoint our locations. Plus: Athens, Wisconsin is home to the center point of the northern half of the western hemisphere. This Smartphone App Can Save Your Life with Just 3 Words (Interesting Engineering)45 X 90 Geographical Marker (Atlas Obscura)Back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon and you’ll never feel lost

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from June 2021, a look at when the geographic powers that be recognized the Southern Ocean as its own entity, and also where the word "ocean" comes from. Plus: a South Korean designer develops a wearable “third eye” that watches for and warns you about any obstacles in your way so you can keep looking at your phone while walking, How many oceans are there? (NOAA)Dividing the Ocean Sea by Martin W. Lewis (Geographical Review via JSTOR)National Geographic recognizes new, 5th ocean (WFLA)A Wearable Robotic Third Eye That Alerts People to Look Up From Their Phones to Avoid Obstacles (Laughing Squid)We’d sail on any of the oceans with our Patreon backers

This week we're replaying some of our favorite episodes about maps and geography. In this episode from July 2019, a look at Sad Topographies, a site that collects the most bummed-out place names on the map. Plus: If places with depressing names aren’t your thing, we've got an upbeat event: the annual World Santa Claus Congress in Denmark. 21 Of The Saddest Places On Earth From Instagram’s sadtopographies (Brilliant Maps)Shades of Death Road (Weird NJ)Washington State’s bummer place names, mapped (Curbed Seattle)World Santa Claus CongressFeeling bummed out by sad place names? Backing Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon could help you feel better

Today in 1917, the birthday of Ella Fitzgerald, a towering figure in jazz, a legendary voice, a star among stars… especially when she became pals with movie icon Marilyn Monroe. Plus: starting today in Georgia, it’s the Thomasville Rose Show and Festival. Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe: Inside Their Surprising Friendship (Biography)THOMASVILLE ROSE SHOW & FESTIVAL Be a star and back this podcast on Patreon

Around this time in 1938, Washington state politics got really, really weird, when the Governor and Lieutenant Governor raced to return to the state to block each other. Plus: starting tomorrow in Houston, the World Coffee Roasting Championship. Meyers, Victor A. (1897-1991) (HistoryLink)2025 World Coffee Championships Race on over to our Patreon page and help support this show

Today in 1982, Key West, Florida, decided it was time to do its own thing, declaring independence from the United States and forming its own country. We'll explain why. Plus: this week in Indiana, the Orleans Dogwood Festival continues. The Founding of the Conch Republic (ConchRepublic.com)Orleans Dogwood Festival  What do you say we be independent together? Back our show on Patreon today

Happy Earth Day.  Our planet is the only one in our solar system not named for a Greek or Roman god. At the risk of sounding flip, the name Earth comes from… earth. Plus: this weekend in North Carolina, it’s the Asheville Bread Festival. Why is Earth called 'Earth'? (BBC Sky At Night) Asheville Bread Festival We invite all Earthlings to back this show on our Patreon page

Today in 1926, the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning queen on record, and one that left a letter that she said shouldn’t be opened until the year 2085. Plus: for National Tea Day in the UK, a visit to the world’s largest collection of teapots (which is not in the UK).The Queen Left Behind A Secret Letter That Cannot Be Opened Until 2085 (Elle)The World’s Largest Collection Of Teapots Can Be Found At The Trenton Teapot Museum In Tennessee (Only In Tennessee)Drop us a line on our Patreon page, and back the show too while you’re there

There’s a town in northern Japan that bills itself as the actual hometown of Jesus, and points visitors to a place named the tomb or grave of Christ. Not the Easter story most of us have heard. Plus: just outside the Austrian town of Gmünd, there’s a divided chapel, with parts on both sides of a road. Weird Legend of Jesus in Japan (ABC News)The Divided Church of Gmünd (Amusing Planet)Wherever you call home, you can support this show on Patreon

We're just a few days away from Easter for many people around the world. For kids in Finland and Sweden, the Thursday before Easter is itself a pretty important time: it’s when they turn themselves into witches. Plus: today in 1967 was the last episode of the sitcom Gilligan’s Island. So we've got a story about a time the TV audience of the 60s stood up for the Skipper and his little buddy. Easter in Sweden comes in many shapes and forms. But there's no getting around the eggs (or the witches). (Sweden.se)Little witches in Finland cast good spells before Easter (Seattle Times)‘Gilligan’s Island’: Secrets From the Set, Including Who Thought the Show ‘Would Never Be Picked Up’ (Yahoo!)Thanks to our Patreon backers for all their treats

This is Money Smart Week, so we're going to look at what exactly money is and what it means, by looking at a kind of money on a Pacific island made out of huge stones. Plus: a shopping plaza in Greenfield, Massachusetts includes an ATM nestled inside a large fiberglass tree. The Island Of Stone Money (NPR)WOW: You Can Get Money Out of a Tree in This Massachusetts Town (WSBS)It only takes a little money on Patreon to make a big difference for this show

It's National Ham Day, so we've got the story of a ham in Smithfield, Virginia that’s stood the test of time for over 120 years. Plus: if you build the LEGO Colosseum set, and you have a cat, that set could quickly turn into a cat bed. Isle of Wight Museum adds a new historic ham to the collection (WTKR) LEGO’s Colosseum Becomes a Regal Nap Spot for Cats Everywhere (My Modern Met)Help our show get old, tough and leathery when you back it on Patreon

Lots of teams have fans try really difficult challenges to win big prizes. Nearly all of them fail, but today in 1993, a guy in Chicago stepped onto the Bulls' home court for a million dollar shot… and made it. Plus: today in 1983, the release of “Murmur,” the first full album by rock greats R.E.M. And during the making of that record, a member of the band helped a very different recording project happen. The $1 million shot that changed sports contests forever (ESPN)R.E.M. Share Memories Of Debut Album Murmur Released 40 Years Ago Today (Stereogum)Back our show on Patreon, for a million dollars a month or just one, whichever is fine

It's National Board Game Day, so we’re going back in time to the very first board game in US history. Though explaining which game was the very first is slightly complicated. Plus: opening tomorrow in Kansas City, it’s the Museum of BBQ. What America’s first board game can teach us about the aspirations of a young nation (The Conversation)Museum of BBQRoll on over to our Patreon page and back this show today

Today in 1849, the US issued a patent for one of the smallest big ideas of the century: the safety pin. And a big factor behind that little invention was paying off a big debt. Plus: today in 1921, the birthday of Robert Wade, a chess master who once proved that even top notch players can have a bad day. Three Millennia of Safety Pins (The Atlantic)Worst chess defeat (Generalist Academy)Pin yourself to our Patreon page so you can support our show